Smaller, Lighter, but more SpaciousThough it looks grand with its dominant 3D sculpted Singleframe grille and its LED headlights with arrow-shaped LED daytime running lighting elements, the Q7 has actually shrunk by 37mm in length and 15mm in width over its predecessor.

Don’t however think that downsizing the body comes at the expanse of cabin space. Audi’s engineers have managed to carve out 21mm more room between the first and second row of seats, and boost headroom by 41mm and 23mm in the first and second rows respectively.

Just like its predecessor, the all-new Q7 is specified here as a seven seats. Similar to the space increments in the front, the third row of seats are said to have been given 24mm more headroom and 20mm more shoulder room.

Thanks to the use of an all-new lightweight chassis, and multimaterial body, Audi says that they have managed to shave 325kg off its kerb weight, making it one of the lightest in its class. According to Audi, weight was saved in all areas of the Q7 from its electrical system to its luggage compartment floor.

More Power with Less ConsumptionThe Q7’s 3.0TFSI engine has been improved with the addition of port injection to complement its direct injection system, and a magnetic clutch that allows the supercharger to decouple itself from the engine.

Put together the new 3-litre V6 petrol engine produces 61hp and 40Nm of torque more, whilst returning a combined fuel consumption figure that is 2.9L/100km lower. 0 to 100km/h has been slashed by 1.6 seconds, and its top speed has been raised from 222km/h to a limited figure of 250km/h.

The 8-speed tiptronic automatic transmission on the other hand now comes with a coasting mode and a dynamic shift programme. Power is sent through all four wheels via its quattro permanent all-wheel drive system, which has a basic torque split of 40:60 (front: rear), and can send up to 85 per cent of the torque to the rear axle and 70 per cent to the front.

What Are You Getting For Your Money? Being the flagship SUV of the brand, Audi Malaysia didn’t skimp on the features list of the new Q7. Inside, the Q7 comes equipped with the new Audi virtual cockpit 12.3-inch instrument display, along with the 8.3-inch MMI system that is loaded with the MMI navigation plus and MMI touch – which includes 3D navigation, infotainment, and telephone features.

In improving the operation of the MMI system, the Q7 comes with an improved Speech dialogue system that is able to understand phrasings from everyday language, instead of being limited to a strict set of predefined commands.

The Q7’s infotainment system is hooked up to a 558W Bose 3D 19-speaker sound system hooked up through a 15-channel amplifier, along with a DVD reader, 10GB on-board storage, and Audi music interface.

The Q7 comes specified with the Audi drive select feature, which allows drivers to tweak the throttle, transmission, steering, and suspension settings. In addition to the drive select’s Auto, Dynamic, Efficiency, Comfort, and Individual settings, the Q7 also features an Allroad and Lift/Offroad setting. In Allroad, the standard fit adaptive air-suspension is able to lift the ride height by 25mm, whereas the Lift/Offroad mode can reach its maximum height of 60mm.

For passenger comfort, the second row of seats can be moved fore and aft, and features a 40:20:40 split. To facilitate an easier folding of the second row, each seat comes fitted with a strut. As for the third row, the two 50:50 split folding seats can be folded up and down electrically from switches located in the luggage compartment, or on either side of the second row seats. With the third row of seats down, the Q7 boasts a luggage space of 770 litres, which can be increased to 1,955 litres with the second row stowed away.

The rear tailgate can be opened and closed electrically, while the rear axle can be lowered by 45mm to improve accessibility to the luggage compartment.

Born with a sizable cranium that is only humbled by Rubens Barrichello's, Daniel doesn't care much for numbers or figures but the immediate sensations and experiences one gets from a drive. To him a measure of a good car is one that does what it was set out to do well. A great car is one that draws a smile on your face with a quality that isn't quantifiable and keeps it there.